Fireworks display under discussion: alternatives being explored

The FWS investigation was conducted in response to The River Reporter’s (TRR) follow up on an incident brought to the attention of TRR by a Tusten resident who discovered one of the Narrowsburg eagle fledglings stranded on a spit of land below the nest on the morning following last year’s display.

The issue of the fireworks and the proximity of the eagle’s nest have been publicly discussed at various town board meetings in past years.

Some business owners recently expressed frustration and disappointment that the crowds of July 4th viewers, who might have visited their shops or dined in area restaurants before the fireworks, will go elsewhere.

Others in the community expressed optimism that a workable solution could be found to accommodate the fireworks and protect the eagles.

Having been a participant in the conference call referenced, there are two points I would like to clarify. At NO time was it an option for the town assume the liability if something were to go wrong, in fact in my earlier discussions with FWS and protecting the taxpayer, that was one of my very first questions to him, "is the township liable?", after a string of questins, he determined that the town (and therefore taxpayer dollars) was not liable in any way.

Secondly, a simple misunderstanding when you write: "Gunther’s office is going to hold the $3200 deposit the fire department put up for the event." When in fact Gunther's office is contacting the fireworks company to see if that $3,200 can be applied for a future event, they are not holding it personally to my knowledge.